Torn
by Lady K 666
Summary: Ch. 6 up, Ch. 7 & 8 in progress! Himeno died 19 years ago, in the fight against the Princess of Disaster. Mannen, Go, Kei, Sasame, and Hayate were all extinguished. The PoD has now returned. Can the Leafe Knights save the new Pretear from herself?
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN ABSOLUTELY NONE OF THE CHARACTERS ORIGINALLY FROM THE SERIES PRETEAR, BUT I DO OWN KOHRA, HER PERSONALITY, HER FAMILY, AND HER FRIENDS THAT WEREN'T ORIGINALLY IN PRETEAR. Besides, if I owned all these characters and plots from Pretear, I wouldn't be writing, I'd be snuggling with my Leafe Knights. I'm not going to repeat this disclaimer every chapter. This is the overall disclaimer. Get over it.**

A/n: Aiieee! Sorry, had to edit because I FORGOT THE DISCLAIMER! But now its up, so alles ist gut! There's also a nice summary right here:

Himeno died 19 years ago, in the fight against the Princess of Disaster. Mannen, Go, Kei, Sasame, and Hayate were all extinguished. The Princess of Disaster has now returned, and the 5 extinguished Leafe Knights are fullgrown. A new Pretear has appeared as well, but although she possesses unique and powerful abilities, she has some equally unusual disabilities? Is she really strong enough to be the Pretear? The romance isn't fully decided until the end, but there will be romance. Read and review for me, and I'll do something really cool for you!

Prologue

Shinkora Mitsukari walked down the sidewalk, chattering non-chalantly with her friend, Ariel Martins. They lived in Appleton, Wisconsin, and had just been let out of school for Christmas break. To the passing stranger, the two girls looked nothing close to their age. Both were short for their age, Kohra standing at a mere 5'0" and Ariel passing her up at 5'3". They both had large, sweet eyes that made them look younger, more innocent than they were. However, both were seniors who would be graduating that spring.

"I think it should count as child abuse, making us wear skirts in the middle of winter!" Ariel complained, shivering as a cold wind numbed her legs.

"Yeah..." Kohra agreed, mind not really focussed in the present. Currently, she was imagining what she would do when she got home. Would she be able to avoid her father long enough to get to her room?

They reached Ariel's street and waved goodbye to each other. "Call me and we can hang out!" Ariel called as she ran to her door.

Kohra, too, broke into a run. Ariel was right, it was cold. When she reached her door, she steeled herself and opened it, calling, "Mama! I'm ho-" She heard sobbing. "Mama?" She ran to the living room at the back of the house, and screamed.

A/N: Yo! Please read and review, I already have most of the next chapter written. Hopefully it won't be so short, but I had to do it with this one! Honestly! So, anyway, R/R, and I'll update faster! w00t


	2. Chapter One: The Beginning

Kohra sat in the front row of her church, eyes red form weeping. Her mother was dead. Her father was dead. Her heart burned with pain for her mother, but none for her father. Her father had tortured her mother, beating her, breaking her limbs, and then he had shot Lianette, once in the heart, once in the head. Then he turned the gun on himself, covering the walls of the living room in a gruesome painting of splattered blood. The question: why? Circulated through the room. Everyone who had known him said that Himuro Mitsukari was the kindest, gentlest soul they knew.

Kohra wouldn't. She pushed back her sleeve and glanced at her arm. There were several cuts, parallel, covered by her long sleeves, but beneath them... Large purple bruises coated her arms, her torso, even her legs. There were several welts across her back. Father was old-school with punishments. If she didn't obey, he used the belt. But mother... Mother _had_ been kind and gentle. Mama had loved father, tried to bring out the good she was sure was there. And then she died.

Kohra stayed at the graveyard long after all the other mourners had left. She knelt before her parents' graves, her long, black silk dress billowing around her, then settling into a flower shape.

"Mama... I'm so sorry. I could've stopped him. If I'd just got back a little sooner. I shouldn't have dawdled with Ariel! I should've walked straight home! I-I saw hi-him shoot you, mama. I could've grabbed the gun and stopped him. Even if he had killed me, at least you... you wouldn't be dead. But I was too selfish. I was too scared for me to save you! And now, they... they're sending me to **_Japan!_** I won't even be able to talk to you, or visit you. Please don't hate me, mama. I promise I'll find a way to get back and talk to you. I _promise..._"

"Shinkora Mitsukari! You can sulk _all_ you want! You are going to be polite. Now, go back and apologize to my husband for ignoring him." Kohra was staying with the neighbors until Thursday, the day she was to go to Japan. _Just two more days!_ She thought to herself. She couldn't stand the Thompsons. Mrs. Thompson was so bossy, and cold. Kohra would talk if she could, she'd gladly apologize. But she honestly couldn't talk. Something had happened that day...

"Now, Shinkora! Do you have something you'd like to say to John?" Mrs. Thompson asked. Kohra's mouth remained tightly closed, her eyes boring holes through Mrs. Thompson's, and her chin held proudly up. Mrs. Thompson turned almost purple with rage. Suddenly her hand flew up and smashed into Kohra's cheek. Luckily, there was no sound or feeling of breaking bones, but she bit her tongue and cheek, and she could already feel a bruise from the impact of the woman's hand. She clenched her teeth and reminded herself not to cry – she wouldn't let this woman have power over her as her father had. She gazed steadily into Mrs. Thompson's eyes, then turned on her heel and stalked out of the room.

Mrs. Thompson was glaring at Kohra when they got to the airport. Kohra glared right back, almost ready to slap the woman as she had been slapped. When her flight was announced, she nodded curtly at the woman and stalked off, one carry-on bag swinging at her side.

She found her seat on the plane – small and cramped – as usual – though it was made worse by the man sitting next to her, who kept giving her lecherous stares. She glared at him for a while, meeting his nasty gaze, before fishing her newest purchase out of her bag.

_Dear Mama, _

_I finally found a way to talk to you. I found this Diary at Vagabond Imports, that store you loved. I'm on the plane to Japan, already. I'm so scared... Scared we'll crash, scared you'll hate me, scared Auntie will hate me... I don't talk any more, mama. I can't. It hurts. So much. I can't talk to anyone but you... And you can't answer me..._

_Lady K_

A/n: I'm sorry this is still so short, but I'm updating quickly right now! PLEASE R/R! I love hearing about what's good, what could get better, what you guys think is just crap. You can even give me suggestions on plot twists if you want. I won't promise to use them, but I will try!


	3. Chapter Two: Discovery

"SHINKORA!" I flinched. My head hurt. My first step in Japan had not been graceful at all. My legs had crumpled, and my head had smashed into a table.

I approached the thin, smiling, waving woman. Her hair was black, but had little grey streaks throughout. Her eyes were set in wrinkles and folds created by her smiles and laughs. Her teeth were straight and white. She was Auntie Yuriko.

"Oh, Shinko! You look so lovely. I'm sorry for what happened, but at least you could come here, right?" She smiled. I tried to return the smile. But from the look on her face, it hadn't worked.

"So...do you want to talk about it?" She asked quietly. I stared at her, then looked at the floor, gulping back tears. I finally shook my head, still not looking at her. "Well, then, let's...let's go to my car." My silence had shaken her. I hadn't meant to make her feel bad...

We shoved my 3 suitcases, 2 duffels, backpack, handbag, and purse into the car, then got in ourselves. I stared at the scenery, noting how crowded it was, and yet, still somehow beautiful. After 30 minutes of driving, swerving, swearing, and waiting, we reached Auntie's house. It was large, a private home, and out in the country. In the back was a beautiful lake. She took me to my room – my own room! - and told me that I should start unpacking. She would have her children bring up the rest of my things.

I opened the suitcase I had dragged up the stairs. Inside were several bundles, delicately wrapped. I opened them. _Mama..._ The pictures were quickly arranged on the bedside table, or hung on the walls. Once they were all hung, I returned to the suitcase on my bed. I pulled out those hangers mama got me to help me find room for all my clothes, and began hanging up my shirts.

I was shocked to find that the closet for my room was at least as big as the room I had had back home. There were places to hang clothes, shelves for shoes, and even some storage space for just plain stuff. I could have fit a bed, dresser, and desk in there, with barely any crowding. It finally struck home that I was in a new place.

I almost screamed when someone knocked on the door. A voice said from the doorway, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you, Cousin." It was my older cousin Satoru, standing at the door. A suitcase and purse were in his hands. "May I come in?" He asked. I nodded, slightly shocked at such manners. No one back home would have asked. He placed my things carefully on the bed, taking a moment to look at mama. "She was beautiful." He said. "I'm sorry, for your loss, Shinko. Please forgive me if I was too forward." He apologized. I shook my head, and tried a smile. It felt more real than the one I had given Auntie, at least. "Do you need anything else?" I shook my head again and he left.

When I opened the suitcase he had brought, I found one last picture of mama. I was with her, smiling at the camera as she laughed and tried to hide her face. Mama always had been shy, despite her beauty. It still amazed me how different I looked from her. She had soft blond hair that was beautiful and just barely curly. It framed an oval face with big eyes, a strong but delicate nose, and full, beautiful lips. Her skin was porcelain pale, with a faint dusting of freckles across the nose. I was not so blessed, in my opinion. I had black, unruly, wavy hair, which, although it was soft, was more of a curse than a blessing. My skin is a combination of mama and dad's, which turned out to be a coffee-with-too-much-cream sort of color, and of course, now there's that huge bruise across my face... My nose is small and delicate, though rather snubbed, if you ask me. However, I do have mama's lips and her eyes. We have green eyes, clear emerald, framed by long full lashes. Sometimes, people mistake me for beautiful because of those eyes.

"Sasame? What is it?" Shin asked. He was still unused to being older than Sasame, and he worried over the Knight Of Sound like a mother. Sasame always overdid it...

"Th-the Pretear... she is... near!" Sasame exclaimed, collapsing onto the bed in shock. Shin thanked every god he knew that Hayate hadn't remembered the other Pretear... Himeno. His resurrection had wiped his mind clean of all memories of her death. The death she had used... to save Hayate.

"Wha-?" The other knights exclaimed. This was incredible news. It confirmed their suspicions that the Princess of Darkness had returned.

_**Flashback**_

Kohra ran in her front door. "Mama! I'm ho-" She stopped. She could hear sobbing. "Mama?" She called softly. She ran to the living room at the back of the house. Opening the door, she screamed. Her father was whipping her mother with a knife. Blood sprayed across the walls, the floor, her father. A drop hit her in the eye, sliding down her face like a ruby tear. She tried to move, to save her mother, but she was paralyzed by fear. When her father turned to face her, she saw the gun in his hand. He smiled viciously and pointed the gun at Lia, her mother. Kohra screamed as a hole opened in Lia's chest. Her father smiled wider and pointed again. Lia's head was blown apart. Kohra couldn't stop screaming. She thought that the next bullet was for her, but her father waved at her and shot himself. A spray of blood painted the walls. Kohra retched, then began vomiting. The stench of blood was everywhere – overpowering her. Her legs collapsed, and she landed face first in a puddle of blood. She screamed in shock, inhaling a mouthful of blood.

It coated her mouth, her tongue, her throat. She began to choke. The next thing she saw was the white walls of her hospital room.

_**End Flashback**_

_**"**_Shinkora, how long will you be in the bathroom?" Kohra's cousin, Shuriko called outside the bathroom door.

6 knocks came from the other side of the door. Shuriko sighed impatiently. The stupid girl hadn't spoken a word since coming to Japan. She had to wait six minutes, according to the knocks, for a stupid invalid to get her ass out of the bathroom.

Kohra shook as she drew the razor blade across her arm. Now that she wasn't watched by the hawklike Mrs. Thompson, she could do what she'd needed for so long. She watched the blood streaming down her arms, silent tears, the only kind she'd cried since it happened. _This is the only way I can cry..._She thought, slicing through her flesh once again.

**Author's Note:** Ok, y'all! I'm sooo sorry these chapters are short. I promise they'll get longer once I've got everybody in, and I'm not so busy. I'm leaving for Indiana tomorrow, so I wanted to get this done. Oh, and there's going to be a lot more third person writing, because to be honest, I hate writing first person. So, don't be shocked, but do...READ AND REVIEW!

Toodles,

Lady K


	4. The End?

**A/N: Mega Love goes out to:**

**LocketzVC: Yay! I'm glad you like it. Actually, I've had this chapter – along with one or two others – just waiting to be posted. But I didn't want to update if no one was going to READ! Thank you so much for reviewing! You are the best!**

Dear Mama,

I miss you so much. Auntie and Satoru have been very nice, but Shuriko seems to hate me. I don't know why. She just always treats me like a freak, maybe because I don't talk. Lord knows she does. It's all she can do. Forgive me for my cruelty, but what she has in communication, she lacks in intelligence. She's a real valley girl. I hope I get my voice back someday... You know how I loved to sing.

Well, I've got to be off to school, now, Mama. Wish me luck on my first day!

Love,

Lady K

Kohra ran all the way to school. When she got there, she was panting, but luckily not very sweaty. She smoothed her hair, hoping she didn't look like a banshee, and walked in. She removed her shoes and put on the slippers Auntie had given her. She went to the principal's office first. Auntie had given her a note for them, explaining why she was there, and that she didn't talk. She went to the secretary and handed her the note, hoping she would just take it to the man in charge with no questions. No such luck!

"S'cuse me, hon, but who's this for?" The woman asked, luckily in English. Kohra grabbed the note and wrote, **_PRINCIPAL_** On it, in big black letters.

"You coulda just _said_ it, hon!" The secretary huffed, flouncing off to give the principal his note. "The principal would like to see you, Princess." She said sarcastically, pointing towards an open door.

Kohra timidly walked in, holding her backpack on her lap when she sat down. The principal was a kind looking man, with tanned skin, weathered and wrinkled, greying hair, and warm eyes.

"So, you're Shinkokami Mitsukari, are you? I'm Principal Masaru Kimosho." He said, smiling warmly. She almost nodded, then shook her head. Taking the note, she wrote. _Kohra, please, sir._ He smiled. "Kohra it is then. So, Miss Kohra. You don't talk. Are you mute?" She shook her head. "Just in shock then?" She considered for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"Well, you won't have to speak in class, but you will have alternative assignments. I do hope you find your voice soon, Miss Mitsukari." He handed her her schedule and a new note for her teachers, along with several textbooks and a uniform.

She smiled at him. _I hope so too, Mr. Kimosho._ She thought. She walked to a bathroom, changed into the uniform, and put her old clothes and new textbooks in her backpack. She glanced at herself in the mirror. The uniform was a pleated black skirt, white long-sleeve shirt, grey wool vest, and white knee-socks. For the colder months, there was also a dark grey jacket and hat. Admittedly, she looked intellectual, and – frighteningly enough- rich.

Lifting up the shirt, she looked at herself from the side. She knew she was too skinny, but this brought it home. Her ribs stuck out at least an inch and a half, looking like a birdcage encased in skin. Running her hand across her back, she could feel each individual knob of her spine sticking out like ridges on a dragon's back. She wanted to eat. She let her shirt back down and rested a hand on her empty stomach. She wanted to eat, but she couldn't. Every time she tried, she'd through up, disposing of vital nutrients, and losing weight even more quickly. She sighed and picked up her backpack, walking out of the bathroom.

She walked to her first class, looking curiously inside before entering. She handed the note to the teacher, Mr. Morusawa, who gave her an interested look before opening the note. "Well! Special treatment, this is! Not legal. I won't treat you any differently than my other students, other than not making you speak. You'll get the same amount of work, so don't think this will make your life easier, Miss Mitsukari!" He thrust the note back at her, and told her to sit front and center, as it was - apparently- the only open seat.

Other students filed into the classroom in groups of two and three. All gave her curious, almost disgusted, looks as they passed. _I'll never fit in here..._ She thought, sighing. The bell rang, signifying the start of the school day.

"Class, you may have noticed our new student, sitting in the front and center here. Miss Shinkora Mitsukari has been so kind as to grace us with her presence. However, she considers us a bit too far below herself to be worthy of conversation." He sneered as his comment was greeted with chuckles from her classmates. "Now, we will continue with our lesson from yesterday, on page 151 of the textbook..."

_Which textbook? _She thought desperately. She tried to look at the books of those around her, but couldn't see the covers. She almost screamed when the boy next to her tapped her shoulder. She turned to him, and he showed her the cover of his book, smiling kindly. _Thank you! _She thought, trying to project it to him. She was surprised when he twitched, and gave her a little smile. _I wonder what that twitch was about..._ She thought, then suddenly realized she was getting behind!

She paged furiously through the textbook until she caught up, struggling along. She could read, and understand, most of the words, but some were quite unfamiliar to her. She would have to ask someone for help. Her eyes drifted to the boy who had helped her before. Would he do it again?

The rest of her day passed in much the same way. Some teachers were quite kind to her, but very few of the students were even tolerant, and most of the teachers were also rather cruel. _Is this their idea of foreign hospitality?_ She wondered at the end of the day, practically in tears. If this was how every day of school was going to go...She pulled up the sleeve of her shirt, revealing the red, irritated cuts that marred the skin there. _Maybe I'll take it all the way. Then at least I'd see mama again..._

She changed into her outdoors shoes, and began the long walk home. She saw cousin Shuriko pass by in a car, but didn't bother to ask for a ride. She knew what the answer would be.

As she walked, she passed a park. It looked pretty, so she remembered it for later. Maybe she'd sneak out and spend the night there instead of at 'home.' As she looked at the flowers of the park, she saw someone moving. She realized it was the nice boy from her first class. She almost waved, when she realized that he was with some other guys. She didn't recognize them, but the way school was going, they'd probably already heard about her and hated her with a passion. She hurried away, hoping they wouldn't be there that night.

"I think I may have found the Pretear." Sasame said bluntly, not bothering to make himself sound unsure. He was almost 200 positive at this point.

"How are you so sure? You haven't even spoken to her!" Hayate spat, in his usual cranky manner.

"I haven't spoken to her, but I am sure she spoke to me!" Sasame exclaimed, which gained him a few odd looks from the group. He sighed, ever since he, Hayate, Go, Kei, and Mannen were extinguished – and then reborn 18 years ago– it had been harder than ever to work together. Shin and Hajime wouldn't tell them anything of what had happened before, but since 5 of the Leafe Knights had been extinguished in the process, it had to have been horrible. But now, it was hard to convince anyone of anything, because they were afraid of the results of any action.

"I thought you said she couldn't speak?" Mannen said increduously. Even as his new, 18 year old self, Mannen was argumentative and loved to make trouble.

"Not out loud, no. But, well, I think she may be able to mindspeak."

"But! No Pretear has had that ability for...for..."

"Several centuries, yes I _know_, Shin! But what normal human girl can do that? She clearly projected a message into my mind, thanking me!"

"Are you sure you didn't imagine it?" Hayate asked, still disbelieving.

"Yes, I'm damn well sure!" Sasame shouted, stalking away.

The others stared after him, mouths dropped open in disbelief. Sasame _never_ lost his temper, shouted even less often... "He must be sure." Said Mannen, same cocky smile still in place.

Kohra's eyes were dry as she wrote what she was sure would be her last journal entry. Leaving the diary open to that page on her bed, she ran to the kitchen, grabbed the sharpest knife she could find, and ran out the door. She planned on making this her first and last visit to Osaka Park as Shinkora Mitsukari.

Dearest Okaa-san,

Mama, please come take me! Let me die. Give me the courage...give me the strength to try. I can't do this. I can't live without you, and I can't go through one more day of that torture they call _school!_ Please, mama! Please, let me join you in heaven, where everything is beautiful, and there is no pain. Let me be saved! Please, understand why I have to do this. Don't hate me because I'm weak. I don't know what else I can do, but I do know that I am not strong enough to go on alone, and no one is willing to stretch far enough for me to grab their hand. It's too hard to go on, knowing that no one loves me. That's why I have to do this. Know that I love you, and I'll be joining you soon.

Deepest Love,

Lady K


	5. New Life

**Once again, all my love goes out to my lovely, and currently lonely, reviewer:**

**LocketzVC: Thank you so much! You are my favorite person on right now. Tell lots of people about this fanfic, because you are amazing, but more people reviewing would make me update faster...**

A/N: In this chapter, we get some more of that mind-speaking thing, but since we need a way to differentiate between 8 voices (Kohra and the seven Leafe Knights) I have a key for you!

Sasame**text**

Shin **text**

Hayate **text**

Hajimetext

Mannen **text**

Go **text**

Kei **(text)**

Kohra's baggy pajama pants tangled around her legs as she tripped over a root, falling face first in the dirt. The knife slid from her pocket, whisking across her back and leaving a long cut. She winced. The cut was deep, because although the knife had simply slid across her back, it was so sharp that it had cut deep and long, leaving a bloody furrow running from the small of her back up to the space between her knife-like shoulder blades. Her shirt, too, had torn all the way up her back, flapping around in the wind.

She took the ends of the ripped shirt and tied them around her waist, creating a rather strange looking outfit, but at least she wasn't flashing anybody. She ran on into the woods, hoping to get deep enough that her body wouldn't be found for a good long time. That plan was cast aside however, when she heard voices several feet away. She thought she saw movement, so she skittered up the nearest tree, a big one with rough bark, so although it was very wide, she managed to get to the higher branches relatively quickly.

Because the men – judging by the timbre of their voices, they were either male or very deep-voiced girls – were so close to her hiding spot, Kohra decided that she'd just have to do this in the tree. She grasped the knife and drew it along her wrist, watching the blood well up like a ruby bracelet before it sli down, dripping onto the branches below her. She began cutting deeper, revelling in the swirling calm that began to envelop her. Then a soft darkness entered her vision, taking over. _Is this what it is to die?_ Her mind sent out into the world, before she lost conciousness, and her body fell from its precarious perch in the upper branches of the tree to a hollow between the roots, just a short distance from the door...

_Crrrshhh fffthhwwmp..._ Sasame's eyes darted to the door. "What was that?" He asked, getting up.

"What?" Mannen looked at him curiously. "I think Sasame may have lost it, hmm?" He said, a hint of friendly teasing evident in his voice.

Sasame ignored the jibe and opened the door. There was nothing immediately visible so he stepped farther out. "Oh my God! Get out here right now!" He yelled. Even Mannen sensed the real panic in his friend's voice, and ran outside.

"What the hell!" Mannen exclaimed when he saw what Sasame was looking at. "Is...is she alive?" He asked tentatively, with a queasy look on his face.

Mannen, Sasame, Kei, and Go approached the crumpled body. Sasame watched her chest, waiting for the tell-tale rise and fall. But before he saw anything, he heard a rasping breath escape her. "Y-yes. Barely. We have to get her inside." They carefully lifted her, rushing her inside and placing her on a bed.

Hayate, who – along with Shin and Hajime – had not rushed out, stared in what appeared to be horror at the girl. "What the hell is that?"

"I... I think that it's the Pretear..." Sasame said. The face looked familiar, under the bruising and blood. Of course, she had had that bruise across her face when he first helped her...but nothing as bad as this. Hajime filled a bucket with water, which Sasame used to soak a piece of cloth.

He slowly washed the dirt and blood off of her face and limbs. Slowly, a myriad of bloody, parallel cuts was revealed on her arm. He hissed in a breath. He knew what those were. As he lifted one of her arms to clean the back of it, he noticed wet blood on her back. "Help me turn her over." He commanded Mannen, who complied, and they turned her on her stomach.

A gash traveled up her back, from her shoulder blades to the small of her back. From this position, it was obvious how painfully skinny she was. Her shoulders were like knives, thin and sharp. He gently sponged away the blood from the wound, trying not to rub it, for fear of starting the bleeding again. At least one of her ankles looked broken, and her body was bruised and bloodied, but other than that there was nothing too bad. Just those cuts on her wrists. All of the Leafe Knights knew what those were, knew that they wouldn't be able to let her leave, simply because they felt a duty to watch over her.

Two weeks passed, and she showed no signs of waking. Blood loss, fatigue, starvation, and a possible concussion kept her body under, doing much needed repairs. The Leafe Knights fed her unconcious body as best they could, and cleaned her limbs, face, and hair somewhat regularly, but it was hard. Reading the papers, they found that a search had been started, apparently for their patient. When the searchers found the blood and the knife, they immediately assumed the worst. After two weeks with no sign of their quarry, they deemed Kohra dead, and held a funeral for her, putting a cross in the churchyard with her name and dates at the base.

Her family, apparently finding no sentimental – also known as monetary – value in her belongings, simply put them out on the street. The Leafe Knights pilfered what they assumed she would want and need most – the pictures of a beautiful red haired woman, books, jewelry, and a little box that they couldn't open, but which seemed important.

Knowing that she would want to wash when she awoke – assuming that she would waken – they bought shampoos and conditioners that claimed to get a 'truer, deeper clean,' create 'smoother, silkier hair,' and 'repair split ends without making roots oily!' They also bought vanilla scented body soap, a bathrobe, and fluffy slippers. When the went to make their purchases, the cashier gave them a well-deserved strange look. After all, it's not every day that seven men that look to be relatively the same age come to the store to buy girly items. The fluffy slippers really did it. When she finished packing the things in a bag, she winked and said, "I'm sure you'll find a good use for _those_, gorgeous!" and walked away.

"_You? G...ous?..._ Ha!" Voices faded in and out as Kohra slipped towards conciousness. She grabbed at the warm, inky blackness that was slowly evaporating from her senses. This blackworld was so much less painful than the real world.

"She wa...ously tal...o me!" Another male voice, raised in what sounded like joking anger.

"As i...! Wha...so gor...s...bout you?..." Still joking, obviously friends. She heard the voices hush each other as they drew nearer, heard the quiet click of a carefuly closed door, listened to the footsteps approaching. Closer...closer... "Is sh...wake?" She caught most of that sentence, the foggy buzzing in her ears faded almost to nothing.

Her eyes flickered against her will, drawing her even nearer to the concious world, letting in the painful, streaming light. She clamped them shut again, but they fought their way open, wanting to know who was staring at her so.

_Aaiiikhh! _Her mental voice cried out, much louder than the little breathy squeak that emerged from her mouth, the pathetic twin of her mind-voice. _Where...am I?_ She wondered, wishing someone could tell her.

**You're with the Leafe Knights, Princess. Welcome.** Her body spasmed, and she whirled, trying to find the speaker. _How the hell are you in my mind? _She almost screamed. This was extremely strange. There couldn't be demons in her head! Not _now!_ **Hey! You reached out first, 'Princess!'** She could feel the quoation marks in her head as yet another voice played through her head. _O god! A bunch of strange men have entered my mind because I invited them in?_ **Umm...I s'pose so. But don't worry, we're nice! **_Is there a reason you can't just _talk,_ instead of using my mind? It's kind of intimidating._One, a young man with flaxen hair and brown eyes smiled and nodded, and she relaxed.

_Does my 'family' know I'm here? _She asked, needing to know. She winced at how apparent the quotations had been in her own speech. Hopefully they wouldn't ask... There was a sad, resigned sigh. "They think you're...dead." The flaxen-haired one siad finally.She choked. _D-dead? But...how long have I been sleeping? _She asked, fearful of the answer. Sleeping in a room full of strange guys was not at the top of her to-do list.

"Three weeks, and god, you sleep like a _rock!_" One of them said, rolling his eyes. _Well, excuse _me _for fainting! It wasn't _exactly_ what I was aiming for, thanks, and besides, if I'm such a bother, why didn't you just chuck me out, smart-ass. _Her mind screamed. She wasn't in the mood for obnoxious prats. The man's dark blue eyes widened in surprise. He opened his mouth, an angry reply ready to be spat out, but yet another guy, with white hair and beautiful ice-blue eyes smacked a hand over his mouth. "Hayate's just a dick head. Don't worry 'bout him!" He said. _Ha..yate? _She asked. Suddenly, she realized she didn't know any of their names. _What _are_ your names, if I may be so bold?_ She inquired, an uneasy smile on her face.

**I am called Sasame**The flaxen haired one smiled and gave a small wave.

** Mannen here! **The white-haired boy smiled and winked flirtatiously at her. She blushed a hot, deep, red.

** I'm Shin! **The one that looked shy but friendly, like a little boy smiled, green eyes warm and gentle.

** Hayate. **The one with dark hair and eyes simply looked at her, showing that he was a bit annoyed at all the fuss. She snorted.

** I'm Go, the gorgeous one! **A man with black and red hair smiled, giving her 'sexy eyes,' which were, to be honest, rather sexy.

My name's Hajime...

**(I'm Kei.) **The quietest looking one of the entire bunch, with a sexy nerd appeal to him introduced him self last, flicking golden hair out of his eyes.

_Sasame, Mannen, Shin, Hayate, Go, Hajime, Kei. _She pointed to each one in turn as she recited their names, sneering a bit at Hayate. She had known him for an entire 10 minutes, and already he bothered her. _I need a shower, or a bath, or whatever you have! I feel dirty..._

"We have a bathtub. Let us get you the water. You just relax." _No, I don't mind, really... _She followed them to what she supposed was the bathroom. Suddenly, the orange-haired boy -Hajime? - raised his hands, and a spout of water shot into the tub, filling it to the brim. Go, the one with red-highlighted black hair, placed his hands on the sides of the tub. It glowed a bit, and the water began to steam. Her mouth gaped open. "Clean up. We'll explain later." Go said, ruffling her hair.

"We even got you shampoo and stuff!" Mannen called out. "But if you need any help, I'm here!" There was the sound of someone being hit in the back of the head and a yelp of pain.

She saw the shampoo and conditioner on the shelf next to the tub, along with the soap and towels. A bathrobe was hung on a beautiful crystal hook, fuzzy slippers tucked neatly beneath it. _Omygod...This is...wow!_ She pulled off her nasty, blood-encrusted clothes, wincing at the smell, and lowered herself into the steaming bath.

As she washed, she revelled in the obvious feeling of grime being lifted and scoured, leaving a squeaky-clean area in its absence. She cleaned her hair first, because although the men had _tried_ to clean it, they had obviously never cleaned hair like hers before. She eased the near-dreadlocks out, massaging until every dirt particle had been removed. Then, she lathered herself with vanilla scented soap and almost fainted from the beautiful smell.

When she finally emerged, dripping hair pulled into a messy bun, and bathrobe wrapped tightly around her. _Clothes?_ She asked, pointedly poking at her berobed stomach. "Well, I think that they might have gotten rid of your old clothes. We couldn't find any..." Kei said, apologetically. _It's okay. They don't need to be my clothes, just _clothes! She siad. _And then you can take me shopping for more! _This was announced with an evil smile. _What did you find of mine?_ She asked, suddenly remembering...

A/N: There! This chapter's a bit longer, aye? Hope you liked! R/R! Danke shoen!


	6. Sushi

**A/N: Mmkay. How many profuse apologies would it take for all of you to not hate me forever and ever? I am SOO sorry. Life got in the way. But no more! Hopefully...**

"Um, there wasn't very much in good condition. Most of it got damaged because it was sitting out for so long. But we found some books, a box, some pictures..." Sasame gestured to the boxes of things sitting by the end of the bed.

_Oh. Thank you. _I quickly dug through the books. Where was my journal? Had my family kept it? I had to make sure that it was never seen again. Except maybe by me. But I couldn't ask Sasame about it. If they did have it, I didn't want them to know how secret it had to be. I looked down at my bathrobe. _Umm, clothes?_

They gave me a pair of boy's pants, a tee-shirt, and shoes. _Have you got something with...uh...sleeves? Long ones? I ... get cold. A lot. _I kept my eyes on the ground. Please let them not ask questions.

"Sure. It's probably because you're so thin, so eventually you won't get cold like that." Shin dug around in what looked suspiciously like Mannen's clothes, and produced a long-sleeved shirt. I smiled my thanks and walked back into the bathroom. The pants were too big at the waist. They fell dangerously low on my hips and made me look a bit like one of those wannabe gangsters. More wannabe than gangster. The shirt would have fit me before I lost all that weight, but right now, it sagged around me. Somewhere – I didn't want to think where – they had found me a bra. How they had known my size I also didn't want to consider. Maybe they were magic or psychic or something. I inspected myself in the mirror. I looked like I had just gotten out of bed, and hadn't been alone, particularly because I appeared to be wearing a boyfriend's clothes. Walking around with _seven_ guys was going to make me look like a total slut. Ah well. At least I'd be a supposedly dead slut.

When I left the bathroom, there were some raised eyebrows. "You look ridiculous," was the first thing I heard. I didn't need to recognize the voice or see his mouth move to know it was Hayate. I felt my face heat. What was his problem? I locked my eyes on the space between my toes, hoping no one would notice my pink face.

"Shut up, Hayate. It's not as though her number one desire is to be wearing our clothes." Go glared at his judgmental friend. His voice softened. "And it's not her fault Himeno's gone." Hayate's normally arrogant and cynical expression froze, then his face went hard and blank.

"Let's go." He said curtly. No one argued. Who was Himeno?

Watching her was like watching the night. Not just the dark and the moon, but watching the whole night. Its moods. Kohra flicked through emotions like teens flicked through their magazines. One minute she was happy, the next she was nearly flying out of her skin when Mannen touched her arm, and then she was incredibly sad. Kei wanted to put her on pause just for twenty seconds. Just let her breathe, let him relax. She was exhausting to observe.

Of course, at the moment she was smiling – not necessarily happy he knew, but well enough to not be frowning – as the other Knights found clothes for her to try on. Every once in a while she would pop into a dressing room and spring back out, tugging at the clothes and apologizing for how 'awful' she looked. Really, the only thing particularly wrong with her was the fact that she probably weighed about as much as the average person's left arm, and she had no confidence in herself. They bought her a full wardrobe of everyday clothes – all a size or two too large, based upon the assumption that she would be gaining weight – before they decided that it was time for lunch. Kohra had changed into slightly more flattering clothes than the hand-me-downs, which had graciously been provided by Mannen and Go.

_I've never had sushi._ Kohra's voice sounded in their minds. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the sign at the front of one of the restaurants. "Never had _sushi?_" Hajime and Shin were shocked. They couldn't imagine life without tea and sushi! "Well," Shin declared, "We'll change that." And with that, the eight of them went into the restaurant.

**A/N: So sorry that this one is short. I figured I should get at least _something_ up, seeing as how I've been 100 neglecting you for soooooooooo long. PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!! kisses the readers' feets**


	7. Ruby Bracelets

"We would like the Sushi Platter, please." Hajime requested when the waitress arrived to take their order. "And green tea all around. Thank you very much, ma'am." The waitress bustled off, blushing at the flirtatious looks she had received from Mannen and Go. "Mannen, Go, you really should know better than to lead people on like that. Now she'll have her hopes up, and you'll probably never see her again." Mannen and Go at least had the decency to _look _sheepish; whether they were or not was debatable.

Sasame smiled at Kohra, who looked amused but also somewhat lonely. "So, Kohra. You aren't Japanese. Where are you from?" He didn't think she remembered that first day of school, when she had thanked him. He decided to keep it that way – it wouldn't do for her to know that they had been tracking her, because then she would also need to know _why._

_I...I'm from Wisconsin._ She stated hesitantly._ It's in the United States. Near Canada._ She said, noting Mannen's confused look. "Maybe if you paid attention in class you'd know that, hmm, Mannen?" Sasame nudged his friend. Mannen wasn't very good at the concept of 'serious.'

"But, if you're from the United States, what are you doing living in Japan? Not that we aren't glad you're here! It's just...you're a long way from home, yeah?" Go inquired. _I'm here because my...my father..._Her eyes filled with tears and she began to shake. Without much warning – other than the obvious signs of grief – she got up and ran to the bathroom. The seven knights sat in awkward silence for a few moments.

"Well. That was exciting." Kei blinked. "Well, if I had known how upset she'd get, I wouldn't have asked." Go said, obviously feeling terrible for whatever it was he had done. He shrugged, "Do you think she's okay?"

"Hah!" Hayate snorted. "How okay could she be? She's a basketcase. Or didn't you all notice her arms when we brought her in? She's a loon." He kept his voice quiet, so that other patrons of the restaurant wouldn't overhear, but it was filled with a fierce intensity. "I don't care what you all think. She's not fit to be the Pretear. Not only has she got no control over any of her emotions, but she's a suicidal maniac! We don't need another dead Pretear!" Hayate didn't personally remember anything from his past life, but he had forced Shin and Hajime to tell him everything – or at least, what he thought was everything. He knew that he and Himeno had been in love. He did not know that one Pretear had died before Himeno, and her death and been partially due to his manipulations. Shin and Hajime had seen the burden just one death had been for him. They did not want to risk telling him about the other.

What happened? What happened is that father went crazy. I drove him mad. It's my fault. All my fault. Daddy would never hurt anyone but every time I screwed up, every failure of mine, I could see it eating away at him. And then he cracked. Mama wouldn't be dead if I weren't so horrible. What've I done?

No razor. Where is it? I hadn't brought it. My mind was screaming. I needed to do something to calm myself down, so I smashed the one small window in the bathroom. As shards of glass rained down, I found one suitable for my purposes. It was about as long as my middle finger, and about as wide as my thumb. The edge was curved and sharp on one side, straight and dull on the other. Perfect. I pulled up my sleeve, pressed the curved edge against my wrist and dragged. Watched tiny white lines become little ruby bracelets become tiny crimson rivers down my arms. And the sweet soft darkness filled me and took over, and I wasn't sad anymore. I was just sleepy. So sleepy. My vision went blurry at the edges, darkness creeping in. I sagged towards a lovely vermilion lake. Finally, I can rest.

"Hasn't it been an awfully long time? Maybe someone should check on her..." Shin looked at his watch nervously, glanced again at the ladies' room door. Hayate's comments had them all on edge now. What had happened before? What if she tried to kill herself? Whether she was the Pretear or not, they couldn't just let her kill herself. They were responsible for her.

"In case you haven't noticed, Shin, we're male. They probably won't appreciate us going and peeking in the ladies' room." Hajime said doubtfully. What could possibly make anyone hate herself enough to try to die? Life couldn't possibly be that bad...could it?

"Well, we could be sneaky." This was Mannen. Not only was he worried, he wanted to see what was so great about the girls' room! They sat in silence for a few more seconds. "I'm going. I don't care. If she's hurt, we have to help her." He stood up quietly and walked casually but purposefully towards the bathrooms. He made as if to go into the men's room, checked to make sure no one was watching, and slid into the ladies' room. Within twenty seconds he was back out, holding Kohra wrapped in a cloak. He gave a quick excuse to the other patrons and the owners. "She passed out over by the bathrooms. We'll just take her home. So sorry we didn't get to eat. Goodbye." Shin, Hajime, Go, Hayate, Sasame, and Kei promptly stood up and hurried after him. Once on the street, they broke into a run, ignoring the stares they got.

"Is she dead?"

"No. Close enough, though." Mannen's face was grim. "Hayate was right. In a way."

"What?!"

They flew through the park, dashed through to Leafania, and got her into a bed. In the bathroom at the restaurant, Mannen had tied his sweater around her arms, stopping some of the bleeding. They removed this and looked at her arms. Shin ran into the bathroom and was sick in the toilet. "She looks like she went through a paper shredder." Hajime murmured, horrified. Kei grimly set to work cleaning and bandaging her arms.

"I think," he said quietly, "that when she wakes up, it might be beneficial for us to find out just what happened back in Wisconsin. She needs to know that she is not alone."

The other six nodded. Kohra slept on.

**A/N: Okay, I'm done apologizing for short chapters. I prefer them like this, and I think it works fine. Yes, the part in Kohra's POV is indeed supposed to be choppy and disjointed. After all, she's a bit...unstable at the moment. Please R/R! The more reviews I get, the sooner it will be happay!**


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